defenders, independent journalists and 1. Romania falls short of its international human rights obligations on lawyers continuing to face personal risks in Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (EUR 39/004/2014) their work. www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/EUR39/004/2014/en 2. Romanian local authorities must provide housing for homeless BACKGROUND families after forced eviction (EUR 39/018/2013) In February, Russia hosted the well-attended www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/EUR39/018/2013/enRomania: Winter Olympic Games in Sochi. By the end Families homeless after forced eviction (EUR 39/019/2013) of the year, following its annexation of Crimea www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/EUR39/019/2013/enRomanian from Ukraine in March and its continuing government is failing homeless Roma in Eforie Sud (EUR support for separatists in Ukraine’s eastern 39/021/2013) region of Donbass, Russia was facing www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/EUR39/021/2013/enRomania: increasing international isolation. Submission to the Pre-sessional Working Group of the UN Committee The Russian authorities adopted an on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 53rd meeting (EUR increasingly belligerent anti-Western and anti- 39/02/2014) Ukrainian rhetoric, which was widely echoed www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/EUR39/002/2014/en in the government-controlled mainstream 3. How the EBRD’s funding contributed to forced evictions in Craica, media. Despite growing economic difficulties Romania (EUR 39/001/2014) and projected cuts in social spending - www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/EUR39/001/2014/en caused in part by Western sanctions and falling oil prices (Russia’s major export commodity), and corruption - the Russian leadership enjoyed a surge in popular support, fuelled in large measure by the RUSSIAN widely hailed annexation of Crimea (which had been under Russian administration in the FEDERATION Soviet Union until 1954). Fighting in Ukraine continued after a Russian Federation Russian-brokered truce in September, Head of state: Vladimir Putin albeit on a reduced scale. The government Head of government: Dmitry Medvedev consistently denied that Russia was supplying military hardware, personnel and other assistance to the separatists in Donbass, Media pluralism and the space for the despite growing evidence to the contrary. In expression of dissenting views shrank occupied Crimea, Russian laws took effect, markedly. Restrictions on the rights to and the rights to freedom of expression, freedom of expression, assembly and assembly and association were significantly association, introduced in 2012, were curtailed as a result. assiduously enforced and further added to. Some NGOs faced harassment, public FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION smear campaigns and pressure to register as Media and journalists “foreign agents”. Several protesters and civil The government strengthened its control over society activists were convicted following mainstream media, which became noticeably unfair, politically motivated trials. Torture less pluralistic. Most media not nominally and other ill-treatment continued to be used under state control exercised an increasing with impunity. The situation in the North degree of self-censorship, seldom if ever Caucasus remained volatile and marred by giving platform to views unwelcome by the human rights violations, with no effective authorities. Dissenting media outlets faced legal remedies for victims, and human rights considerable pressure in the form of official Amnesty International Report 2014/15 305 warnings, the removal of editorial staff and the challenges and the outlets remained blocked severing of business ties. Publicly owned and at the end of the year.1 private media outlets with pro-government Several independent media outlets sympathies were used to smear political received official warnings about “extremist” opponents and critical voices, including or other purportedly unlawful content. independent NGOs. Independent radio station Echo Moskvy Dozhd TV was taken off air by satellite was forced to remove a transcript from its and cable broadcasters in late January after website of a studio discussion on 29 October it initiated a controversial debate about the with two journalists who had witnessed the siege of Leningrad in World War II. It was fighting at Donetsk airport and expressed also refused an extension on the lease of its pro-Ukrainian views. Roskomnadzor alleged studio space. Although commercial reasons that the programme contained “information were cited, the political influence on these justifying the commission of war crimes”. The business decisions was apparent. Dozhd TV host of the discussion, Aleksandr Pliuschev, was well known for its independent political was later suspended for two months in broadcasting, giving the floor to opposing connection with an unrelated inappropriate views and offering markedly different personal tweet. His suspension was the coverage of EuroMaydan events in Ukraine. It result of a compromise reached between the was forced to broadcast online only and resort editor-in-chief Aleksey Venediktov and the to “crowdfunding” to survive. management of Gazprom Media, the station’s In March, the owner of online news principal shareholder, who had initially outlet Lenta.ru replaced its editor-in-chief sought to dismiss Aleksandr Pliuschev and after receiving an official warning for threatened to remove Aleksey Venediktov. publishing an interview with a right-wing Physical attacks on journalists continued. Ukrainian nationalist activist who had come In August, several were assaulted in separate to prominence during EuroMaydan. Many incidents, as they attempted to report members of staff resigned in protest, and on secretive funerals of Russian military the previously independent editorial policy servicemen allegedly killed in Ukraine. changed markedly. On 29 August, Lev Shlosberg, publisher of Greater controls were imposed on the Pskovskaya Guberniya, the first newspaper internet. In February a law was enacted giving to report on the secret funerals, was brutally the Prosecutor’s Office the authority to order beaten and hospitalized with head injuries. the media regulator, Roskomnadzor, to block The investigation failed to identify his three websites without judicial authorization for assailants and was suspended at the end of purported violations, including publishing the year. calls to participate in unauthorized Timur Kuashev, a journalist from public assemblies. Kabardino-Balkaria who worked closely with In March, popular online news outlets local human rights defenders, was found Ezhednevnyi Zhurnal (Daily Journal), dead on 1 August. His unexplained death Grani.ru and Kasparov.ru were blocked was reportedly caused by a lethal injection. after reporting on the dispersal of several The killings of other journalists in the North peaceful spontaneous street protests in Caucasus in previous years, including Moscow. The Prosecutor’s Office argued Natalia Estemirova, Hajimurad Kamalov that their sympathetic reporting on these and Akhmednabi Akhmednabiev, were demonstrations amounted to calls for not effectively investigated and their killers further “unlawful actions”. Its decision remained unidentified. In June, five men were was repeatedly upheld in subsequent legal sentenced to imprisonment for the killing of investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya 306 Amnesty International Report 2014/15 in Moscow in October 2006, but those who In July, penalties were significantly ordered her killing remained unidentified. increased and criminal liability punishable by imprisonment introduced for repeated ACTIVISTS violations of the law on public assemblies.3 Individuals and groups with dissenting views The authorities proceeded with the also continued to be denied their right to prosecution of those accused in connection freedom of expression. Sexual minorities were with the May 2012 Bolotnaya Square protest: among those targeted, including under the 10 individuals were sentenced to between two 2013 federal law prohibiting “propaganda and a half and four and a half years in prison of non-traditional sexual relations among for their participation in and alleged violence minors”. LGBTI activists were consistently during the protest, which was qualified as prevented from holding peaceful assemblies, “mass disorder”. Sergei Udaltsov and Leonid including in locations specifically designated Razvozzhaev were convicted of organizing the for public gatherings without prior permission, “mass disorder”. typically less frequented parks with low On 20 and 24 February, police violently footfall. Courts upheld the right of LGBTI dispersed hundreds of peaceful protesters activists to peaceful assembly in relation assembled outside the court building in to previously banned events on three Moscow as it was delivering its verdict in the occasions, but their rulings had no impact on Bolotnaya trial and at subsequent gatherings future decisions. in the city centre. Over 600 were arbitrarily In January, activist Elena Klimova, from arrested, most of whom received fines. At Nizhniy Tagil, was accused of “propaganda” least six were sentenced to between five and for her online project “Children 404” aimed 13 days’ “administrative arrest”. at supporting LGBTI teenagers.2 Charges In subsequent weeks, numerous were issued against her, then dropped, then peaceful protesters were arrested, fined and issued again, threatening the closure of her sometimes detained for their participation project. In April, the screening of a film about in protests against